Sea urchins (/ ˈ ɜːr tʃ ɪ n z /), are typically spiny, globular animals, echinoderms in the class Echinoidea.About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft; 2,700 fathoms). Their hard shells (tests) are round and spiny, usually from 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in) across. White wines and Japanese sake make an excellent complement to raw sea urchin and sea urchin dishes. Some of the new studies on this species were done with funding support from the Pacific States Fishery Commission to gain more information about the species, its life cycle, biology, survival rate, growth patterns, and perhaps shed light on why the red sea urchin resource was declining in some areas. The giant red sea urchin, or Mesocentrotus franciscanus, is the largest species, with their test averaging about 18 centimeters (seven inches) across and spines eight centimeters (three inches) in length. https://copr.nrs.ucsb.edu/natural-resources/invertebrates/red-sea-urchin This has long been known to occur among starfish and brittle stars but has been more recently observed in a sea cucumber, a sand dollar and a sea urchin. www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=redseaurchin.printerfriendly There are… Usually hide under sea grass, shell, or shallower reefs and can be found in Carribean. It inhabits the coastal Pacific waters of North America. Aka Uni/Red Sea Urchin Roe. There is no sea urchin version of menopause. The situation sometimes is becoming ridiculous as time and again Chinese and North Korrean ships are caught poaching sea urchins in the Japan seas to export them later to Japan! If you’re stung, make sure to keep the wound clean to prevent an infection. Like oysters, sea urchins are considered to be a strong aphrodisiac. Aka Uni/Red Sea Urchin Roe Sea urchins, or uni/海栗in Japanese, are popular in many countries, but maybe not as much as in Japan! Sea Urchin Species. The devastation is also economic: Until now, red abalone and red sea urchins, a larger and meatier species of urchin, supported a thriving commercial fishery in both states. Sea egg urchin (tripneustes ventricosus) : Last type of sea urchins, has dark colors like: black, dark purple, and reddish brown with white spines 1-2 cm long and 15 cm in diameter. These species belong to four of the major classes of echinoderms except crinozoans (as of 2011). Species Common Name Red Sea Urchin Species Scientific Name Mesocentrotus franciscanus; Ecoregions. Sea urchins, or uni/海栗in Japanese, are popular in many countries, but maybe not as much as in Japan! The larvae of some echinoderm species are capable of asexual reproduction. A sea urchin sting is painful, but it’s not dangerous. 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